1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of holders for carrying documents which are necessary for travel. The present invention also relates to the field of holders which can be used to carry any documents when boarding a means of public transportation such as an airplane.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, devices for carrying various articles and documents which enable the document holder to be worn around a user""s neck have been known in the prior art. However, the inventions known in the prior art were created prior to the terrible tragedy of Sep. 11, 2001 when the two World Trade Center towers were destroyed. Subsequent to this tragedy, extra precautions have to be taken for screening and verifying passengers boarding a means of public transportation such as an airplane. The prior art patents did not focus on a holder to be used to carry any documents by passengers when boarding an airplane and instead, focused on a holder for carrying articles and documents for different purposes.
The following prior art references are found to be relevant in the general area of holders which can be used to carry documents and can be worn around a user""s body parts such as a user""s neck.
1. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 252,355 issued to Uber on Jul. 10; 1979 for xe2x80x9cGaming Pouch For Keno Or The Likexe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cUber Patentxe2x80x9d);
2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,018 issued to Seron on Mar. 3, 1992 for xe2x80x9cLanyard Constructionxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cSeron Patentxe2x80x9d);
3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,311 issued to McBride on Jan. 12, 1993 for xe2x80x9cNeck-Supported map Holderxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cMcBride Patentxe2x80x9d);
4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,739 issued to Gargan on Feb. 14, 1995 for xe2x80x9cCommuter Ticket Holderxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cGargan Patentxe2x80x9d);
5. U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,816 issued to Zapawa on Jul. 28, 1998 for xe2x80x9cProtectiveTicket Holder And Memorabilia Devicexe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cZapawa Patentxe2x80x9d);
6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,657 issued to Romer on Nov. 3, 1998 for xe2x80x9cTicket Stub Display Device And Article Carrier Combinationxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cRomer Patentxe2x80x9d);
7. U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,526 issued to Longcor on Jan. 26, 1999 for xe2x80x9cExpandable And Collapsible Belt-Strap Card Holderxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cLongcor Patentxe2x80x9d);
8. European Patent Application No. EP 0 909 538 A3
The Uber Patent is a design patent which protects the shape or ornamental beauty of an object. It is a gaming pouch which basically discloses a pouch having a strap member and which has pockets therein for retaining money and other items associated with gaming.
The Seron Patent discloses an improved lanyard. It consists of two strap members 10 and 14 which come together in a mounting element 16 which itself contains a hook member which an be used to hold an identification card 18.
The McBride Patent essentially discloses a pouch for carrying a map so that it can be supported on a long string which is worn around a skier""s neck. The map holder which has a ski area trail map or related printed information therein is visible by being in an exposed clear plastic holder which can be openable by means such as Velcro. The map holder includes a string or elastic to be positioned around the neck of the skier with the map supporting member attached to the string or elastic. The map or other information is exposed in the map supporting member. The string or elastic is sufficiently long so that the map can be read by the skier or a companion without the string or elastic being moved from around the neck of the skier.
The Gargan Patent discloses a clear plastic envelope which is designed to hold a commuter ticket and an opening through the top of the envelope through which an elastic neckband can be inserted so that a commuter ticket can be placed in the clear plastic envelope through an opening and the entire apparatus worn around the user""s neck so that the user""s hands are free and the ticket is clearly visible to anyone. In this device, the holder contains a clear plastic envelope in which the ticket is clearly visible and is supported by an elastic strap. It does not have any facility for holding anything else.
The Zapawa Patent is also a ticket holder which can be worn around a person""s neck. Similar to the previously described patent, this ticket holder contains a generally rectangular transparent laminated memorabilia card, with the card including aligned rear and front panels with a common outer periphery. An insert displaying information is disposed between the rear panel and the front panel such that the insert is spaced away from the outer periphery and the rear panel is bonded to the front panel along the outer periphery. The ticket holder includes a transparent ticket pocket including aligned rear and front partitions in facing relation to one another and bonded the front panel of the card. An opening is provided in the ticket holder so that a cord 12 can be inserted through the opening so that the device can be worn around the user""s neck.
The Romer Patent is designed specifically for carrying a portable radio or binoculars in addition to a ticket. The Romer Patent discloses a carrier having a body having front and rear walls, said walls being connected at side edges and bottom edges thereof, thereby defining a pouch having a closed bottom, closed sides and an openable top portion capable of receiving an article which in this case is defined as a portable scanning radio in the only independent claim. The device also has on its front an envelope structure coupled to said body so as to extend generally vertically from the body, said envelope structure having a front panel and a rear panel, certain edges of said front panel and said rear panel being joined together so as to define a pocket having an opening in which a generally planar item such as the ticket may be inserted, and may be visible through the pocket. There is also a suspending structure which in this case is a cord by which the entire apparatus can be worn around a user""s neck. As can be seen from the pictures, the primary purpose of the central pocket is to hold an article such as a scanning radio, binoculars etc.
The Longcor Patent discloses an expandable and collapsible belt strap container for conveniently carrying sports cards on a person and comprises a container 10 having an inner side attached to the mid-portion 14 of a belt 12 by elastic webbings 13 and 13xe2x80x2. The container comprises an expandable and collapsible bellows 11 with an open top and a flap 18 hingeably attached to an outer side of the container. The flap stretches across the open top and down the inner side of the bellows. A long piece of hook-and-loop fastener 19 is attached to the inner side of the bellows while a short piece of hook-and-loop fastener 20 is attached to the distal side of the flap. Therefore, when the bellows is fully collapsed, the distal side of the flap may be attached to the lower side of the long fastener. When the bellows is fully expanded for carrying a large number of sports cards, the side of the flap may be attached to the upper side of the long fasteners.
The European Patent Application EP 0 909 538 A3 is very similar to the badge carrying device already discussed. It consists of a base section 4 that engages a cord 2 and an attachment section 6 that secures the object to be held or displayed. The cord 2 may be worn by a person such that the object, for example, an identification badge, key ring, etc. is held and/or displayed.
None of these prior art items focus on the principal object of the present invention which is to enable a user to carry in a hands-free manner a boarding ticket and personal verification means as well as other necessary means when boarding a means of public transportation such as an airplane.
The present invention is a holder for retaining documents which are necessary to board a means of public transportation and which holder enables the documents to be retained in a manner wherein the documents can be easily veirified by an examining agent and removed from the holder by the examining agent, while at the same time enabling the holder to be worn around a user""s neck so that the user""s hands are free to carry objects.
It has been discovered, according to the present invention, that if a holder is comprised of a retaining body having a closed bottom and closed sidewalls and an open top, an airline ticket can be retained in the open top so that it is readily accessible to be removed by the ticket agent at the time a passenger boards an airplane.
It has also been discovered, according to the present invention, that if the holder contains at least one plastic retaining means on one side so that the plastic retaining means is sealed against the holder on all of its edges except for one edge such as the top which is open, a photo identification means such as a driver""s license can be retained in the clear plastic sleeve so that an airline ticket agent can see the photo identification means to verify the passenger""s identity before permitting the passenger to board the airplane.
It has additionally been discovered, according to the present invention, that if the holder is designed in a foldable condition so that the holder can be folded and retained shut by closure means such as mating hook-and-loop fasteners of snap fasteners, then additional pockets can be manufactured into the interior wall of the holder means to retain additional items such as credit cards, passports, cash, and other personal items which the passenger may need either subsequent to boarding the airplane or prior to boarding the airplane.
It has further been discovered, according to the present invention, that if the holder has a strap or cord either permanently or removably affixed to the upper body of the foldable container, then the holder can be worn around the user""s neck in a manner which permits the airline ticket to extend out of the opening in the container so that it can be examined by a ticket agent and the photo identification is visible through the clear plastic sleeve so that the airline ticket agent can verify the passenger""s identity before permitting the passenger to board the airplane, while at the same time the user""s hands are free to carry luggage, or carry a baby or hold a child""s hand.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to create a document holder which can be worn around a user""s neck so that the user""s hands are free to carry luggage, hold a baby, or hold a child""s hand, etc., while at the same time visibly retaining a boarding ticket in a manner which permits a ticket agent to remove the ticket for inspection without requiring the passenger to use his/her hands and assist the ticket agent and further provides a clearly visible photo identification which the airline ticket agent can clearly see without requiring the passenger to use his hands to assist the ticket agent, so that the ticket agent can verify the passenger""s identity, all without requiring the passenger to release the items he or she is carrying.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means to speed up the boarding of aircraft by providing a holder which enables a passenger to have the ticket and photo identification readily available for examination by the ticket agent. At present, there are substantial delays encountered when boarding an aircraft because the passenger has to place the passenger""s luggage on the ground and reach into his/her pocket or purse to give the ticket agent the ticket and reach into his or her wallet to show the ticket agent the passenger""s photo I.D. such as a driver""s license. It is an object of the present invention to avoid these delays by having a holder in which the ticket is readily visible and retrievable by the ticket agent while at the same time displaying the photo identification without the necessity of the passenger having to remove these items from his possession and give them to the ticket agent, and thereby avoiding the delays in the boarding lines while other passengers are waiting to board the airplane.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hands-free holder to retain additional necessary items such as credit cards, cash, etc.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hands-free holder for airline tickets, photo identification, user""s credit cards and cash, which is of simple construction and light in weight so that it can be worn around the person""s neck, even if the person is handicapped, in a manner which does not require any effort on the user""s or passenger""s part to display the ticket, photo identification or other items.
Further novel features and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, discussion and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the drawings.